The end of the latest run in a Grand Slam for Serena Williams looked a little more final than we have seen in previous years and you do have to wonder if she is considering calling time on her career. I am not entirely surprised even if Williams looked as strong as ever in Melbourne this past two weeks, but time doesn't stop for any player and there are some major threats in the Women's game these days and I am not sure Serena will ever be able to win the Singles Grand Slam title she needs to match Margaret Court.
Wimbledon and the US Open offers big opportunities, but time is running out and I think there will be other names that start as favourites at both of those Grand Slams later this year.
It has been a spectacular career if this is indeed the final year on the Tour for Serena Williams, and she looks to have passed the torch to someone who idolised her growing up. Naomi Osaka can become the dominant force on the WTA Tour for years to come if she so wishes, although there are some quality players at the top of that Tour who will believe they can get the better of a player that has to show improvement on the clay and grass courts.
It makes Women's Tennis appealing to fans with some uncertainty as to how a tournament will develop, but it is also important to have a star like Naomi Osaka beginning to build her own legacy in the sport and be able to take over from the 'legends' when they are ready to be moved aside.
It has been a long-term issue in the Men's game with the Big Three dominating over the years, but finally we may be seeing other players ready to challenge the elite. If either Daniil Medvedev or Stefanos Tsitsipas are able to win the title, they will become the youngest first time Grand Slam Winner in a little under twelve years and could see that player going on to superstar status.
Novak Djokovic will be waiting for the winner though and beating him here is as big a challenge as knocking off Roger Federer at Wimbledon and Rafael Nadal at the French Open. With an extra day of recovery under his belt and looking like he is firmly over whatever injury plagued him in the Third Round, Novak Djokovic is going to be a big favourite on Sunday and it will be up to the winner of the second Semi Final to have to dig deep and try and knock off one of the top names in the sport on their favourite Grand Slam surface.
Daniil Medvedev-Stefanos Tsitsipas over 38.5 games: For a long time fans of the ATP have been waiting for the 'Next Gen' of stars to make their impact at the Grand Slam level and we have seen some of those players getting closer and closer to doing so. One of the 'Big Three' is already waiting in the Final of the 2021 Australian Open, but both Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas are much improved young players and they meet in a big Semi Final with every confidence that the winning player will have the belief to go on and win a maiden Grand Slam title.
Daniil Medvedev has celebrated his 25th birthday during the Australian Open, while Stefanos Tsitsipas is 22 years old- if either goes on to win the title here this week, they would be the youngest first time Men's Grand Slam Champion since Juan Martin Del Potro won the 2009 US Open as a 20 year old.
That underlines some of the development of sports science which means Tennis players can extend their careers longer than they would, but also the weight of expectation that fans have had on younger players as they look for them to announce themselves at the highest level.
Both of these players are operating at elite level and the match being played under the lights will help with the physical issues that both will likely have been dealing with. Daniil Medvedev was cramping right after his Quarter Final win over compatriot Andrey Rublev with both players suffering in the heat, while Stefanos Tsitsipas was on the court for over four hours two days ago as he became the second player to recover from two sets down to beat Rafael Nadal at a Grand Slam tournament.
Earlier in the tournament Stefanos Tsitsipas benefited from a walkover too so he has played one fewer match than his rival, but he has twice needed over four hours to win matches. There is also the emotional and physical energy needed to come from two sets down to win a match at any time which has to be a factor in this one and I think it is going to be a big test for Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The layers seem to believe the same with Daniil Medvedev going in as the favourite, but the raw numbers from the tournament suggests it will be a close match. Unsurprisingly the Russian has the superior return numbers, but Stefanos Tsitsipas has shown off stronger returning than we have come to expect of him in the early stages of his career and the Greek top tenner also has been serving at a higher level than his opponent.
Despite playing one match fewer, Stefanos Tsitsipas has actually spent more time on court than his opponent and the head to head is heavily in favour of Daniil Medvedev. The latter has won five of their previous six matches and leads on the hard courts 4-1, while Medvedev will extract some confidence from the fact he has never been beaten outdoors by Stefanos Tsitsipas.
However, there has been a clear sign that Medvedev has had more issues facing the Tsitsipas serve in the last few meetings- in each of the last three hard court matches, Daniil Medvedev has won 33%, 31% and then 30% of return points played and the break points created have slipped from five to three to zero in those matches too.
It has to be encouragement for the improving Greek star, although he has had a tough time dealing with the Daniil Medvedev serve too and I think the performances in the Australian Open suggest this is going to be a tight match. I would be surprised if either player is able to run through in straight sets, although my edge goes with Daniil Medvedev because of the emotional and physical effort Stefanos Tsitsipas has had to put into his Quarter Final win over Rafael Nadal.
The serving is going to be key for both players on the faster courts in Melbourne this year and I think the two players can combine for enough games to cover this total line set as long as we see at least four sets. Tie-breakers won't be a surprise and they played out a tight match on a fast court in Shanghai eighteen months ago which was eventually won 7-6, 7-5 by Daniil Medvedev.
The only concern for the selection is that Daniil Medvedev is able to win the first two sets- I think that could see a flat Stefanos Tsitsipas beaten, but anything else should make this a very competitive match with both players serving at a really strong level. It could be the kind of match that Novak Djokovic will enjoy as much as the fans with the winner being drained for the Final in two days time, but it should be a memorable Semi Final and I will look for the two players to produce some excellent tennis in a tight match.
MY PICKS: Daniil Medvedev-Stefanos Tsitsipas Over 38.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)
Australian Open 2021: 46-42, - 3.22 Units (176 Units Staked, - 1.83% Yield)
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